Coating compositions may be applied to many structures. Either aqueous or nonaqueous coating compositions must dry before the protective and aesthetic properties of the compositions can be fully achieved. The drying time of the coating composition is particularly important for aqueous coatings dried outside as the drying rate is adversely affected by high humidity and, at the same time, rain, or even heavy dew, may cause a catastrophic failure such as washout of the coating film. The problems of achieving quick drying for aqueous compositions are aggravated when the composition is low in solids content or is applied as a thick coating. The drying time of a coating composition depends on its temperature; colored coatings drying outdoors with incident sunlight may achieve a higher temperature and higher drying rate than white coatings owing to the greater absorption of radiative energy by a colored coating.
Unfortunately, in many cases a colored coating is undesirable or unacceptable for functional and/or for aesthetic reasons. For example, white coatings are known to significantly reduce the surface temperature of roofs relative to dark colors. This reduction in surface temperature, which may be as much as 45 C., may drastically lower the energy requrements for air conditioning and may lessen the thermal shock associated with rain striking a hot roof. Such roof coatings are typically fairly thick--a dried coating thickness of 30 to 40 mils is common--and drying may be slow. Slow drying may hamper the application of subsequent coatings, particularly in the case of thick coatings on roofs where it is necessary for an operative to walk on the first coating during the application of the second coating.